Siblings Working in Business (230)
Oblivious to Chang-seok’s gaze, Eun-ho was seriously participating in the meeting, taking notes in his black notebook.
‘…?’
When Chang-seok’s explanation paused, Eun-ho finally looked up from his notebook.
“…Why?”
“Why what?”
“…Did I do something wrong?”
Eun-ho tilted his head and asked, meeting Chang-seok’s eyes.
“No.”
Chang-seok grinned, his lips stretching into a smile.
Eun-ho found that smile unsettling.
“What’s with that unsettling smile?”
“I just thought of a good way to fix Eun-ji’s language.”
“…?”
Although he called it a ‘good way,’ Chang-seok’s ambiguous expression only amplified Eun-ho’s anxiety.
‘What is he going to say…?’
Just then, as Eun-ho was worrying…
“Let’s choose a magic word.”
“A ma-, what?”
“A magic word!”
Unlike Eun-ho, who was dumbfounded, Eun-ji, who had recently been interested in fairy tales, was delighted, her eyes sparkling.
However, after Chang-seok’s explanation, their reactions reversed; Eun-ho burst into laughter, and Eun-ji’s face fell.
The ‘magic word’ was a word Eun-ho would use whenever Eun-ji was about to curse or make a verbal slip, like saying “fuck,” “shit,” or “damn it.”
And whenever Eun-ho said that word, Eun-ji had to immediately stop talking, no matter what.
It was essentially putting Eun-ho in charge of Eun-ji’s mouth.
But Chang-seok was confident it would work.
Eun-ho was the only one who could predict Eun-ji’s unpredictable reactions.
It was as if Chang-seok was giving Eun-ho the power to legally shut Eun-ji up.
The result…
“Ah—!”
“Jjom.”
“…”
The magic word was ‘jjoom.’
Eun-ho used the ‘magic word’ frequently, whenever he sensed Eun-ji was about to say something inappropriate.
Eun-ji’s ‘mouth training’ continued not only on broadcasts but also in their daily lives.
As Chang-seok predicted…
No, the effect was even better than he expected.
It was because Eun-ho was uncannily accurate at predicting Eun-ji’s outbursts.
Chang-seok was pleased with the results.
He ignored the 30% overuse of the word…
…and the potential storm it could create.
He was blinded by the positive results.
Meanwhile, every time Eun-ji was silenced, an unknown ‘gauge’ within her filled up.
It was as if stopping the production of small grenades led to the creation of a missile.
And no one but Eun-ji knew about it.
Time passed, and the first filming day for Let’s Live Together a Bit arrived.
「“Wouldn’t it be more realistic if they met without knowing who the other guests were?”」
Famous PD, seemingly liking Chang-seok’s suggestion, agreed.
So, until the day of filming, the cast, except for the staff and PD, didn’t know who else would be appearing.
“Who do you think it will be?”
“Probably Aeseul.”
When Eun-ho mumbled, Eun-ji added, as if it were obvious,
“…Besides her. Do you think I would have asked if I didn’t know?”
“Oh, I thought you were just asking.”
“…Seriously.”
Eun-ji’s subtle digs had become sharper as her cursing decreased.
“My bad. I wasn’t perceptive enough.”
“…?”
“Our little pumpkin still needs to ripen a bit more to understand things like this.”
Eun-ho put on a fake, overly sweet smile, and Eun-ji shuddered, her chin doubling.
No matter how much Eun-ji improved, she was still no match for Eun-ho when it came to verbal sparring.
Seul-gi and Hyun-woo, despite their usual bickering, smiled proudly.
‘They’ve improved a lot.’
The number of flying objects had significantly decreased.
Seul-gi and Hyun-woo were especially aware of Eun-ji’s growth.
They had been worried about the reality show, but their worries had eased considerably.
The van, driven by Hyun-woo, stopped in a corner near Seoul Station.
“Ugh, it’s cold.”
Eun-ji shivered as soon as she stepped out of the car.
“It is.”
Eun-ho, getting out after her, also seemed to feel the cold, shivering slightly in agreement.
It was chilly.
But the wind felt colder, biting to the bone.
They seemed to feel it more intensely after being in the warm car.
‘It would have been nice if it was sunny.’
The sky was overcast, a thick fog hanging in the air, threatening rain or even snow.
Eun-ho and Eun-ji, having received instructions beforehand, calmly walked towards the filming location, followed by the cameraman.
“Aren’t those the E-UNG siblings?”
“OMG! They are!!!”
Although only Eun-ho and Eun-ji were visible on camera…
A surprisingly large crowd of onlookers had gathered behind the cameraman, drawn by curiosity.
“It’s E-UNG!”
Many seemed to recognize them.
“Eun-ho!!!”
“Haha.”
Unable to ignore the shouts, Eun-ho chuckled and waved to the fans.
“Kyaaaaa!!!”
“Eun-ji! I love you!!!”
Just then…
A loud male voice echoed through the station.
Eun-ji, uncrossing her arms, which she had been hugging for warmth, raised both hands and waved enthusiastically.
“Waaaaah!!!”
Eun-ho and Eun-ji, despite the cold, felt a surge of warmth at the fans’ enthusiastic response.
It was a shame they couldn’t interact with them for long due to filming.
They arrived at the filming location.
A square, white box with holes in it sat on a makeshift table.
“…?”
Eun-ho and Eun-ji looked at the box curiously.
They didn’t touch it.
They sensed it was a trap, but also because of PD Yoo’s gaze…
…which seemed to be waiting for someone to take the bait, like a fisherman.
“Oh! Someone else is coming!”
Someone in the crowd shouted.
Eun-ho and Eun-ji also turned their heads towards the voice.
A woman with light brown, wavy hair was walking towards them.
She was holding her bangs and forehead with both hands, as if shielding them from the wind, which threatened to mess up her hair.
“There she is.”
“…”
They weren’t wearing microphones yet.
Eun-ji, seizing the opportunity, grinned mischievously and spoke.
Eun-ho ignored her and simply bowed to Aeseul.
“You’re here.”
“Ah, hello!”
Aeseul, after Eun-ho’s greeting, bowed deeply, her forehead almost touching her knees, as if she was deeply honored.
But Aeseul wasn’t the only mystery guest.
“Oh, there are already a lot of people here.”
Someone waved at Eun-ho and Eun-ji from behind Aeseul.
Aeseul and Eun-ji were surprised, and a bright smile suddenly appeared on Eun-ho’s usually stoic face.
“Hyung!”
“Our maknae!”
Eun-ho, his face alight with excitement, walked towards him.
Seo Seung-yeon threw open his arms, dropping his bag.
“Ah…!”
But contrary to Seo Seung-yeon’s expectations, Eun-ho casually ignored him and walked straight towards Tae-hyun.
“What? You could have told me you were going to be here!”
“Surprise.”
Just then, as Tae-hyun replied with a grin…
“You little… do you think I don’t exist?”
Seo Seung-yeon, feeling slighted, put Eun-ho in a headlock.
Then, he pressed his fist against the top of Eun-ho’s head, and Eun-ho yelped as if a button had been pressed.
“Ow!”
“Say you’re sorry, you punk!”
“Haha, s-sorry! Ow!”
Eun-ho, giggling even as his eyes teared up from the pain, seemed to have ignored Seo Seung-yeon just to tease him.
‘I should say hello…’
Aeseul just stood there awkwardly, unsure what to do in this unfamiliar situation.
She glanced at Eun-ji, wondering if she could get a hint.
‘Huh…?’
Aeseul quickly looked away, pretending not to notice the look in Eun-ji’s eyes.
‘Is this also Sunbae-nim’s first time experiencing this?’
Eun-ji watched, surprised, as Eun-ho’s face lit up at the appearance of Choi Tae-hyun and Seo Seung-yeon and he greeted them warmly.
The Eun-ho she knew suddenly felt like a stranger.
She didn’t know how to describe this feeling.
If she had to put a name to it, it was a sense of bittersweetness.
Eun-ho was being called ‘maknae’ among the Toxin members, despite her presence.
[Eun-ho ― Why am I the maknae when Lee Eun-ji is here…?]
She had felt excluded, but Eun-ho protested, so she thought it was okay.
She thought it was.
But as time went on, Eun-ho seemed to accept the title of ‘maknae.’
And she didn’t like it.
If you asked her why, well…
She didn’t know.
Was it because he was her brother?
Her only family?
He was in a group with her, not them, and Eun-ho’s actions there…
‘He’s like… me.’
This Eun-ho was a stranger, unsettlingly so.
The Eun-ho in front of her always acted like a condescending adult.
But now, after Tae-hyun and Seung-yeon’s arrival, he was acting like a real maknae, whining to his hyungs.
“Hyung, since when was this decided?”
“Since you guys changed the title. Since then.”
“Ah. Haha.”
Eun-ho continued to laugh even as he was being dragged around by Seo Seung-yeon’s headlock.
“Hello.”
“Hey.”
“Eun-ji, hi.”
Although they were in the same group chat, Eun-ji wasn’t as close to the Toxin members as Eun-ho was.
They were colleagues and acquaintances, but perhaps because of their gender…
She couldn’t get as close as Eun-ho, calling each other “hyung” and “dongsaeng.”
She felt a twinge of… something unpleasant.
Just then…
Eun-ji sensed a faint presence behind her.
‘Who the hell is approaching me while we’re filming…?’
As Eun-ji expected, a large shadow was creeping closer behind her.
Even if she was lost in thought, she wasn’t oblivious to her surroundings.
Eun-ji, ready to counterattack, turned around to face the person behind her.
“Whoa! E-Eun-ji.”
“…”
Behind her was a familiar-looking person, clutching their chest and letting out a startled gasp.
She had seen him somewhere before…
“Ryu Seok-hyun Sunbae-nim?”
Just then…
At Eun-ho’s words, Eun-ji instantly recognized him as the MC from Change Partner.
“Ah!!!”
As Eun-ji finally recognized him, Tae-hyun, Seung-yeon, and Eun-ho came over to her.
“What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean? I’m the MC here. Haha.”
Ryu Seok-hyun said with a laugh.
“By the way, one person’s missing.”
“Who else is coming?”
Eun-ho counted the people present.
Six in total.
‘Everyone’s here, aren’t they?’
Just then, as he thought that, he heard the rustling of paper bags and hurried footsteps approaching.
“Sorry I’m late!!!”